[pyrnet] SEMINAR OPPORTUNITY: A Day with Dr David Mech

["Tracy" <espinay@bigpond.com>]

*** PLEASE CROSSPOST ***

SEMINAR OPPORTUNITY: A Day with Dr. David Mech

TOPIC: The Diet and Nutrition of the Wild Wolf from Birth to Death

SPECIAL APPEARANCE: Atka - a 2 year old ambassador Artic wolf

WHEN: Saturday, September 25, 2004, 9:00am to 5:00pm
(Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.)

WHERE: South Salem, NY, The Willows Event Facility

SPONSOR: Wolf Conservation Center, South Salem, NY

NOTE:  ALL proceeds go to benefit the Wolf Conservation Center
(www.nywolf.org).  Founded in 1999, the Wolf Conservation Center (WCC) is a
501(3)c non- profit organization that promotes the preservation of wolves in
the wild by teaching about wolves, their relationship to the environment,
and the human role in protecting their future. This mission is accomplished
through onsite and offsite education programs, and through participation in
the Species Survival Plan and US Fish and Wildlife Service Recovery Plan for
the highly endangered Mexican gray wolf.
==============================
The growing popularity of raw diets for companion carnivores, and a growing
mainstream acceptance of the idea that high carbohydrate (grain-based) diets
for carnivores may not be species appropriate, have made many people look to
the natural diet of the wild wolf for guidance in feeding dogs and captive
wild canids.

This seminar will provide a focused, in-depth examination of the diet and
nutrition of the wild wolf, from birth through death. While Dr. Mech will
not discuss domestic canine diets *at all*, he will cover many topics which
will be of interest to anyone feeding a natural diet to dogs.  The facts and
fictions about wild wolf dietary habits will be highlighted.  Some (this is
not an all-inclusive listing) of the areas he will cover through discussion,
video presentation, and Q & A sessions, are:

DIET OF THE AVERAGE ADULT WOLF:
  * Average kills per week
  * Average amount consumed per kill, per wolf
  * Pieces and parts consumed of a kill - and in what order, if any
  * Pieces and parts that are not consumed
  * Amount of bone consumed
  * Amount of "kill" (protein) variety in a typical wolf pack diet
  * Frequency of small animal kills vs. large animal kills
  * Nutrition derived from other sources then prey, if any
  * Typical feeding patterns in Spring and Summer vs. Fall and Winter
  * Scavenging as part of the diet - how much, how often, when, under what
circumstances
  * The amount of fiber and the sources, if any, in a typical wild wolf diet

DIET OF THE PREGNANT BITCH:
* Changes in the amounts eaten during gestation
* Changes in the kinds of food eaten during gestation
* If advanced pregnancy prevents them from being efficient hunters in the
last two weeks before
  whelping, does the pack feed them or are they left to fend as best they
can

DIET OF THE NURSING BITCH:
* Changes in the amounts eaten in the first few weeks post-whelp
* Changes in the kinds of food eaten in the first few weeks post-whelp
* Hunting behavior in the first few weeks post-whelp

DIET OF THE NEWBORN/YOUNG WOLF PUP:
* Nursed for how long
* Nursed how often
* Introduced to regurgitated food at what age
* Composition of regurgitated food (amount of meat, bone, other foodstuffs)
* How often fed regurgitated food in a typical day
* Fed regurgitated food until what age
* Introduced to non-regurgitated food at what age
* Initial "solid" food composition - amount of meat, bone, etc.
* How much solid food do they begin eating, and how often
* What age are wolf pups normally weaned
* Begin to eat at the kill site at what age
* Typical amounts eaten at the kill site by a pup
* Typical parts/pieces eaten at the kill site by a pup
* To what age does the pack insure that youngsters get adequate amounts of
food
* At what age to they become young adults
* Are young adults immediately designated as "low ranking" by the pack
* Do low ranking pack members only get kill "leftovers" and thus consume
more bone

DIET OF THE ELDERLY WOLF:
* At what age is a wolf elderly
* Does the pack provide for elderly members who may not be efficient hunters
* Does the diet of the elderly wolf change in types of amounts or food eaten

HEALTH AND OTHER DIET-RELATED ISSUES:
* Discussion of dental health and evidence, if any, of dental disease,
including tooth fractures, tooth wear, etc.
* Observation, if any, of wolves suffering from endocrine diseases or
non-parasite related skin disease
* Frequency of both internal and external parasite-related heath issues
* Based on physical observation and/or autopsies, evidence, if any, of death
due to dental disease, cancer, organ failure, perforations, bloat, diabetes,
IBD, bacterial poisoning, etc.
* Stools - typical stool: changes in stool as related to specific food
eaten; average size; average
  consistency; frequency of fecal elimination
* If free from human-related injuries/disease, what is the typical lifespan
of a wolf

WHO SHOULD ATTEND THIS SEMINAR:
People feeding raw diets using some foundation of wild canid nutrition
Veterinarians who want to learn more about the foundation of raw diets
Veterinarians who provide care for captive wild canids
Curators / animal care personnel who deal with captive wild canids
Anyone making/selling raw diets in any form
People interested in learning more about wolves

ABOUT DR. MECH
Dr. Mech is acknowledged as one of the world's leading authorities on wild
wolves. He is a senior research scientist for the Department of the Interior
and an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota in St. Paul. He has
studied wolves on Isle Royale in Minnesota, Canada, Italy, Alaska,
Yellowstone and elsewhere since 1958. Dr. Mech has authored several books
including "The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species" in
1970, "The Way of the Wolf" in 1991, "The Artic Wolf: Living wiht the Pack"
in 1988 and "Wolves of the High Artic" in 1992. His latest book, co-edited
with Luigi Boitani, "Wolves: Behavior, Ecology and Conservation", was
published in November 2003. Dr. Mech also chairs the IUCN Wolf Specialists
Group of the World Conservation Union.

He is the founder and a board member of the International Wolf Center. He
launched the start of the facility in 1985. The project was a natural
outgrowth of his years of wild wolf research and the realization that people
would only help preserve the wild wolf if they had the chance to understand
it.

REGISTRATION:

Cost per person: $100.00

Lunch will be available at the seminar site for $8.  Morning refreshments
will be served at no charge.

To register, see the registration forms at www.nywolf.org/seminar.html
or call the Wolf Conservation Center at (914) 763-2373 with your credit card
information.

Special Note:  All seminar attendees who arrive on Friday, Sept. 24, are
invited to visit the Wolf Conservation Center at 4:30 p.m. for a tour that
will include a 30 minute presentation about wolves, and a visit with the
Center's four (non-breeding) ambassador wolves.

Registration Deadline:  August 25, 2004

Refund Policy:  If written or email request for refund is received prior to
August 25, 2004, a refund in full, less a $10 administrative fee, will be
issued.  Refund requests received between August 26 and September 5, will be
refunded at 50%.  No refunds will be issued for requests received after
September 5, 2004 at 3 p.m.

SEMINAR LOCATION:
South Salem, NY is located in northern Westchester County about four miles
from the CT border, between Ridgefield, CT and New Canaan, CT

* NYC airports are about 60 minutes
* Bradley International Airport in the Hartford, CT/Springfield, MA area is
about 75 minutes
* Westchester Airport in White Plains is about 30 minutes
* Tweed Airport in New Haven, CT is about 90 minutes

For detailed directions and hotel/motel suggestions, please see the website:
www.nywolf.org/seminar.html

DOGS: No dogs will be allowed in the seminar location

PEOPLE ETIQUETTE:
During the seminar, please turn off all cell phone and pager audio alerts.
Please take all private conversations outside while the speaker is
presenting.

Audiotaping and videotaping are not permitted.